Overtime Goal Gives Islanders 1-0 Series Lead Over Penguins

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Josh Bailey scoring the game-winning goal in overtime on Wednesday night, as the Islanders won the series opener.CreditCreditBruce Bennett/Getty Images

By The Associated Press

April 11, 2019

Josh Bailey scored on a rebound at 4:39 of overtime and the Islanders beat the Pittsburgh Penguins, 4-3, at Nassau Coliseum on Wednesday night in the opener of their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series.

Jordan Eberle had a goal and an assist, and Brock Nelson and Nick Leddy also scored for the Islanders, who were opening a postseason series at home for the first time in 31 years. Robin Lehner stopped 41 shots.

Phil Kessel and Evgeni Malkin each had a goal and an assist, and Justin Schultz also scored for the Penguins. Matt Murray finished with 29 saves.

On the winning goal, Matt Barzal brought the puck into the offensive zone on a 2-on-1 break, faked in front to draw Murray out and sent a backhand shot that bounced off the left post, but Bailey was there to knock it in.

Game 2 is Friday night.

Tom Kuhnhackl, who had a goal in the opening minute of the game waved off for offsides, nearly won it for the Islanders 1:12 into the extra period as he crashed into Murray and the puck crossed the goal line. But a replay confirmed that the net had first come loose.

The Islanders led three times in regulation, but the Penguins tied it each time.

Leddy gave the Islanders a 3-2 lead with 7:25 left in the third as he sent a long shot from left point at the blue line that knuckled past Murray.

With Murray pulled for an extra skater, Schultz fired a one-timer from the left circle past Lehner inside the left post with 1:29 left.

Bailey had a chance to win it in the closing seconds of the third, but his shot hit the right post. Matt Martin also hit a post for the Islanders.

The raucous crowd was chanting “Let’s Go Islanders!” even before the teams came out for pregame warm-ups, and it roared when the Islanders stepped on the ice and then booed loudly when the Penguins followed.

BLUE JACKETS 4, LIGHTNING 3 Seth Jones scored the go-ahead goal on the power play to cap a three-goal rally in the third period for visiting Columbus in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference series.

“We can’t get comfortable,” Jones said. “Nothing is going to get easier. It’s only going to get harder.”

Tampa Bay led 3-0 after the first period and 3-1 in the third.

“Our mentality was, we wanted to outscore them tonight instead of build a lead and then shut then down,” Lightning Coach Jon Cooper said. “Our mentality has to be when we get in these situations is shut teams down, not to add to the lead.”

Tampa Bay scored 325 goals in 2018-19, the most by any team in 23 years.

But Columbus’s David Savard deked around Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman and scored 7:56 into the period to make it a one-goal game, and then Josh Anderson tied it with a short-handed goal at 11:54.

Six minutes later, Jones made it 4-3 with a shot from the slot.

The Lightning, who matched the 1995-96 Red Wings for the most wins in a regular season with 62, got first-period goals from Alex Killorn, Anthony Cirelli and Yanni Gourde.

“We’re just losing too many battles,” Blue Jackets Coach John Tortorella said. “Just the grind of the game. We have to be able to grind with them.”

BLUES 2, JETS 1 Tyler Bozak scored with 2:05 left in the third period as visiting St. Louis took Game 1 of their Western Conference opening-round series.

Pat Maroon sent a backhand pass from behind the net out to Bozak in the slot, and Bozak’s quick shot went by Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck. David Perron also scored for St. Louis in the third, and Jordan Binnington made 24 saves.

Patrik Laine scored late in the first period and Hellebuyck stopped 24 shots for the Jets, who host Game 2 on Friday.

A version of this article appears in print on , on Page B13 of the New York edition with the headline: Overtime Goal Gives Islanders 1-0 Series Lead. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe